NIO Executive Shen Fei Clarifies Onvo User Profile: Primarily Mid-Level Professionals, Not "Those Who Can't Afford NIO"

Shen Fei, Senior Vice President of NIO and President of ONVO (Le Dao), recently stated that the ONVO brand is positioned as a high-quality, family-oriented smart electric vehicle, emphasizing that this positioning is clear and accurate. In response to market perceptions that “consumers buy ONVO only because they can’t afford NIO,” Shen firmly rejected the notion, calling it an early-market misconception. He noted that user research conducted this year revealed a significant proportion of ONVO’s actual customers are mid-level corporate professionals—individuals with strong purchasing power who prioritize whether a vehicle is presentable and suitable for family use. Shen stressed that NIO and ONVO are clearly differentiated in terms of price range and target demographics: NIO leans toward the business and premium segments, while ONVO focuses on high-quality family users. Despite their distinct positioning, both brands share the same quality management system, with unified teams overseeing body engineering, battery technology, and operational services. Shen emphasized that ONVO is not a lower-tier product in terms of quality; the difference lies solely in brand positioning. Regarding pricing strategy, Shen said ONVO is committed to maintaining relatively stable prices but will enhance user value through continuous upgrades in configuration and performance—delivering “more features without raising prices”—thus indirectly optimizing value amid intense market competition. Additionally, ONVO plans to focus on three key initiatives in the second half of the year: reinforcing its brand identity as a “family car” with the new slogan “Every Journey, Joyful and Assured”; expanding its battery-swap network by adding 1,000 new swap stations by year-end; rolling out quarterly over-the-air updates to its in-car system, including cabin and intelligent driving upgrades for the Coconut model in July; and accelerating channel expansion by opening 200–300 new sales outlets by the end of 2025, adopting a multi-brand integrated store model while retaining ONVO’s standalone small-mall stores and flexible touchpoints. When asked which was more difficult—getting into Tsinghua University, developing battery swapping, or serving as president of ONVO—Shen replied with a smile: “Looking back now, getting into Tsinghua was the easiest.”